The State Government Victorian Cancer Plan was launched by the Health Minister, Jill Hennessy on Friday 22 July at the Western Hospital. Cancer survivorship projects were also launched. In a nutshell:
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There are five key priority areas; primary prevention; screening and early detection; treatment; wellbeing and support and research.
- It includes an emphasis on improving access to clinical trials, and accelerating the translation of cancer research into outcomes for patients.
- The Optimal Care Pathways implementation will be a focus of the plan.
- Streamline referral processes to higher-volume services for complex and rarer cancer patients and implement a services capability framework across Victoria to inform referral pathways.
- There is a focus on equity and on better understanding and addressing the differences in outcomes for certain cancers, regions and population groups.
- The plan acknowledges the importance of patient centred care.
- The plan will continue to develop a state-wide cancer performance indicator and monitoring program, and implement data collection and reporting against a range of key agreed indicators.
- Implement the end of life and palliative care framework and increase the uptake of Advanced care plan
It will provide better access to and use of data and information to drive continuous improvements in cancer prevention and care
- Includes an emphasis the importance of prevention across the care pathway
- There will be a Victorian state-wide cancer forum held every two years to provide an opportunity for the cancer sector to inform the priorities.
- The Victorian Government will develop and document implementation priorities detailing the key initiatives; establish outcomes measures that identify short-, medium- and long-term targets
In December 2015 the Clinical Network made a submission to the Health Minister outlining our priorities for the next Victorian cancer plan. The Health Minster was also sent a report outlining priorities of Victorians with a lived experience of cancer, ascertained through a consultation process undertaken by the Clinical Network last year in collaboration with Cancer Action Victoria.
The priorities outlined in the plan and in our submission are aligned, in particular, taking a patient centred, long term approach; an emphasis on research and clinical trials; supportive care and addressing equity of access and a reduction of health inequalities.